gunmen

Gunmen are individuals who use a firearm to threaten, injure, or kill others. The term is used across many contexts to describe people who commit violence involving guns. A gunman may act alone or as part of a group, such as a criminal organization, a terrorist or insurgent faction, or a combatant in armed conflict.

In criminal settings, gunmen participate in robberies, extortion, assassinations, and other violent crimes. In cases of mass violence or gang conflict, they may target rivals or civilians. In war zones, gunmen can refer to fighters or armed members of militias who rely on small arms.

In journalism and public discourse, gunmen describe perpetrators of shooting incidents and other firearm-enabled violence. The term is also used in fiction and media as a character type or title for films, books, and games.

Policies and practice aimed at reducing gun violence focus on enforcement, prevention, threat assessment, and firearms regulation. Public safety responses typically emphasize rapid law enforcement, community intervention, and mechanisms to identify and mitigate imminent threats while balancing civil liberties and due process.